Nationally

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a network in the U.S. of community-based units initiated and established by local organizations to meet the public health needs of their communities. It is sponsored by the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States. The MRC consists of medical and non-medical volunteers who contribute to local health initiatives, such as activities meeting the Surgeon General’s [1] priorities for public health, and supplement existing response capabilities in time of emergency. The MRC provides the structure necessary to pre-identify, credential, train, and activate medical and public health volunteers. In the fall of 2007 the name was modified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services office to read "Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps".

The Medical Reserve Corps provides health professionals and others an organized mechanism through which they can volunteer their time and skills to strengthen their communities by preparing for and responding to large-scale emergencies and disasters, such as an influenza epidemic, chemical release or act of terrorism.

Locally

Locally, the Medical Reserve Corps is the sponsored by the DuPage Health County Health Department and volunteers are trained to prepare for and respond to large-scale emergencies and disasters, such as an influenza epidemic, chemical release or act of terrorism affecting DuPage County.

Additionally, MRC volunteers help support the priorities of the Office of the Surgeon General by participating in programs such as: Start The Heart, Forward, and Public Health education activities.